


Seeking Peace

by ByTheAngell (SomeLittleInfamy)



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Comfort, Light Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-06
Updated: 2020-11-06
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:15:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27421039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SomeLittleInfamy/pseuds/ByTheAngell
Summary: As Jace feels the grounding connection of the Alliance Rune fade away he finds himself drawn to the Seelie Realm, and to the one person who can help him keep from losing it entirely.
Relationships: Meliorn & Jace Wayland, Meliorn/Jace Wayland
Comments: 8
Kudos: 50
Collections: SHBingo 20-21





	Seeking Peace

**Author's Note:**

> Bingo Square: The Seelie Realm (also yes I know Seelie magic isn't necessarily nature-related but also we saw them manipulate vines once and they bond with the bugs so we're running with it)

It seems as if the lingering effects of the Alliance rune are mild for the others - Alec has the occasional rogue spark from his fingertips that’s entirely harmless, and Clary ate her steak at Magnus and Alec’s wedding practically rare that night, but other than that everyone seems to be back to normal.

Everyone but Jace.

He covers it by spending more time than usual in the rooftop greenhouse tending to the plants and volunteering for Patrols near the parks where he can wander among the trees for hours on end. It’s the only place he feels calm, the cold concrete of the city and the stone walls of the Institute both feeling oppressive all of a sudden.

He should hate being alone with his thoughts just then, it’s never been something he’s good at, but it seems the only peace he can find is in nature. It’s the only thing that grounds him when Alec goes on his honeymoon and Clary leaves their world entirely. Jace is lost, he’s damn near spiraling out of control… except when he’s grounded by nature. It’s the only comfort he has for days but he can feel it starting to slip, feel the moments of restfulness growing fewer and further between. He wants to get them back.

He _needs_ to get them back.

It isn’t until two nights in a row find him drawn to the entrance of the Seelie realm that he admits to himself what he needs to do, his suspicions confirmed by the sudden appearance of a Seelie Knight.

“I was wondering how long it would take you to come here,” Meliorn says expectantly. “You fought the pull of the Seelie Realm much longer than I anticipated.”

“You were watching me?” Jace asks, eyebrow raised.

“I could _sense_ you,” Meliorn corrects. “Stronger the closer you came. It seems our alliance took quite intensely to you, Shadowhunter,” Meliorn adds, glancing down toward Jace’s feet. It’s only then that Jace follows his gaze and notices the grass and flowers around him bending toward him slightly enough that he probably wouldn’t have noticed if Meliorn hadn’t directed his attention toward it.

“Ever since we got back from Edom, I’ve been restless in the city. It’s like…” Jace trails off, suddenly feeling foolish trying to voice his problem aloud.

“Your body is more attune to the natural world around you, now,” Meliorn supplies when it becomes clear Jace isn’t going to finish his sentence. And then, when Jace remains silent, adds, “Would you like to explore it further?”

Jace tenses at that. He isn’t sure he should be exploring it _at all_ , not when the rune is so obviously against the Angels’ wishes, but the invitation is too tempting to turn away. Jace nods.

“Follow me,” Meliorn says without hesitation, stepping behind a nearby tree, re-opening the portal to the Seelie Realm, and gesturing for Jace to go through first.

The moment Jace steps through the portal it’s as if his entire body, mind, and soul come alive at once. He feels sharper, more grounded… more _powerful_.

“Woah,” Jace says, breathing out the word.

Jace walks over to a nearby tree, reaching out to place his hand on the end of a vine. It immediately begins to grow, wrapping itself around his hand, his wrist, and up the length of his arm, the movement almost like a snake.

“I’m doing this,” Jace says, the hint of a question behind his words.

“You are. The power is stronger here - all Seelie magic is. So long as you reach out with no ill will, nature here should respond to your call not just willingly, but eagerly,” Meliorn explains.

“And if I _do_ hold ill will?” Jace asks, out of curiosity. He doesn’t, and wouldn’t dare risk something like that in the Seelie Realm, but he has to wonder…

“Our realm shares our desire for self-preservation,” Meliorn says with a shrug. “It looks out for us as much as itself. I wouldn’t recommend it.”

“Noted,” Jace says, watching with continued fascination as he focuses on pulling his arm away from the vine, watching as it twists away to let go of his arm and wrap back around the tree once more.

“Do I have like, Disney Princess wild animal powers now, too?” Jace questions.

“...I don’t know what that means,” Meliorn says, brows furrowed together in confusion.

“Don’t let Clary or Simon hear you say that,” Jace warns, only half-jokingly, since that is how he came about the knowledge. “Never mind, it doesn’t matter. I don’t think this is going to last much longer anyway. The others have already faded almost entirely, I’m not sure why I even still have mine.”

“Most likely because you haven’t used it, not the way the others did. There wasn’t much use for it in the wasteland of Edom.”

It makes sense. “So if I use it now, it’ll probably fade for good afterward?” Maybe that would be a relief, to go back to feeling entirely normal without these strange pulls away from the city life he normally finds comfort in… but instead the idea of losing this feeling of natural focus brings a frown to his face and a heavy weight to his chest.

Meliorn nods. “It is likely. The rune is temporary, as are the effects.”

Jace originally came here to find a way to keep the feeling of peace he needs so desperately, and though he hasn’t brought himself to ask for it yet he hasn’t written the idea off, either. He just has to get the words out, but no matter how lost and broken he feels he can’t bring himself to admit it to _Meliorn_ , of all people.

Instead, Jace manages, “...and if I wanted to extend the effects?”

Meliorn arches an eyebrow at that but remains silent. He’s going to make Jace say it, isn’t he? Jace sighs then takes a deep breath and continues.

“I need it, just for a little while longer. The calmness. It’s been fading, fast, and I- I can’t lose it, not right now.” Jace hates admitting it. He hates every word that leaves his mouth, the vulnerability of it all, but he knows it’ll be the only way to convince Meliorn to figure out a way to help him. At least Meliorn knows he means it because he can’t lie.

“We could re-apply the rune,” Meliorn suggests.

“You’d do that for me?” Jace asks, surprised because he doesn’t think Meliorn is getting anything out of this exchange that he actually wants, at least as far as their shared abilities go. “Why?”

Meliorn eyes Jace curiously. “Because you interest me, Jace Herondale. _This bond_ interests me. I told you it was more than just pointy ears,” the Seelie reminds him. Jace suddenly remembers what else Meliorn told him about the powers too, and meets his gaze to see something intense that wasn’t there a moment before.

 _You’ll learn your true power the next time you take your lover to bed,_ Meliorn had joked, except what if it hadn’t been a joke. What if now that Jace is here, alone, and looking to keep a bond with the Seelie…

“I could show you how to channel the power properly,” Meliorn offers, as if reading Jace’s mind. “For peace or pleasure… or both. You can keep your solitary serenity, but you could also find deeper connections if you’re open to them.”

There’s no shame there, and unlike what Jace suspected when Meliorn made his first comment while they were in the larger group before Edom, there’s no reason to say it simply for the shock factor now that they’re alone.

“And if I’m not?” Jace asks. “If I choose my _‘solitary serenity’_?”

Meliorn shrugs. “I’ll still assist you. I want nothing from you that you aren’t willing to give.”

It’s a genuine offer to help as much, or as little, as Jace wants. Maybe there’s something he’s missing, something Meliorn will ask for later in return the way that Seelies sometimes do, but right now it truly feels like an offer from an ally. From a _friend_.

The only question now is how much _does_ Jace want?

“So?” Meliorn asks again, this time waiting for a firm answer.

For the first time since all of this began, Jace finds himself glad for his inability to lie, because it means Meliorn will know the weight of certainty in his response. It’s impulsive and selfish, but it’s _honest_.

“Yes,” Jace agrees.

Meliorn smiles and nods. “Then let’s get started.”

Meliorn turns and begins to walk away, deeper into the Seelie Realm, and Jace follows without hesitation.

Peace or pleasure, Meliorn had offered, and Jace wants both. He deserves both. And maybe, just maybe, this time he can keep them.

**Author's Note:**

> (Find me on [Tumblr](http://bytheangell.tumblr.com) and also on [Twitter](http://www.twitter.com/By_The_Angell)! <3 )


End file.
